Andrew von Eschenbach

Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach was nominated March 15, 2006, by President George W. Bush to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, vice Lester M. Crawford, who resigned in September 2005. Von Eschenbach's nomination was sent to the U.S. Senate for confirmation March 15, 2006.

"Dr. von Eschenbach currently serves as Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs and Director of the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. von Eschenbach has previously served as Lieutenant Commander of the United States Navy Medical Corps. He received his bachelor's degree from St. Joseph's University and his MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine."

On September 23, 2005, President Bush appointed von Eschenbach to be the FDA's new acting commissioner following Crawford's resignation. His nomination was not confirmed by Senate.

Profiles
Von Eschenbach "is a cancer survivor and urologic surgeon from Bush's home state who was chief academic officer of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center before moving to the National Cancer Institute.

"His tenure isn't immune from controversy either: Von Eschenbach has said that he hopes by 2015 to make cancer a chronic disease that patients can live with instead of die from. While a laudable goal, it's one that many oncologists caution that science isn't yet that close to achieving for most types of cancer."